Starter for internal-combustion engines.



invention consists in .the nevel com entre@ @FFME DON D. MILES, JR., .OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSGNOR T0 BENJAMIN GOODWIN, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

STARTER FOR INTERNi-MBUSTON ENGINES,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2G, 1914i.

Application led January Sii?, 19121, Seiial No. 672,454.

T0 ZZ whom it may Concern.;

Be it known' that l, DON D, Minne, Jr., a citizen et the United States, residing at the city and County of San raneiseo and State of Cali'tornia, have invente-l certain ,new and nfse'ful tlnpi'oven'ients in Starters tot' internal-Ceinimstion Engines, et which the following is a Specification.

The iiefeinat'ler described. invention relates'to automatic starters for internal coinbustion engines, and particularly vto startete adapted to be used in Connection 'with in terna] combustion engines as applied to automobiles, and to a type wherein air under eonliression is employed to start an air operated Starting engine or motor and aiito- 'lnatieally connect the' motor with the e11- gine shaft to be started. After starting the engine the motel' is converted into an air Compressor, recharges the air suofpiy tenet'n Voir which opera tes the motor, the air compressor after having recharged the air Sap'- ply iesei'waii' Abeing automatically@inconneeted lay the alii' pressure in. :saidl supply eeervoir from the engine and permitted to i'emain iride until it istiesii'etl te again etait the engine.

The invention has for one ot ite oiijeete toprovitie a device Wlxiefn is iiglit .in weight, Simple in construction, and positive and automatic in all of its operations;

Another -ebjeet is ite provicie a 'inotoiwhieh 'after starting, the engine may 'be ieadily converted into a. pump fet' i'eelnu'gg ing the air supply tank, Witi'iont aiterati ,D or changing any part et the start" L; engine but by simply changing tite dit@ n of tiie iow of air current Within in Writ-li these and other oiiieets of parts hereinafter tally fiesen rated in the accompanying drawing 7 .toyining'a part et this invention, and. pointed ont in the claims hereto-appendedg it being un dejstood that, various changes in tne forni, propertiom, and, minor etaile et' con struction 'within the scope or? v'the claims may be resorted ,to without, iiepartii'zg from tile :spirit or saeiiiemg any of the advantages et' the invention. v

'To eonifvmelxend ythe invention reference ehoaiti be: hed to tite aeaeznpanying sheets of drainage, iNest-rating a complete eonamt the emineetion 'therefrom to the Clutch mounted on the drive i-:lialt ot the engine to be started, the means (zonnet-.teil to the niotor and eluteli for throwing' tbe saine into :mtl mit of engagement, a mi the valve and operating" means, and the aix' Storage tank for Controlling the operation ol? the motor. Fig. 2 a iongitmiinal seetional View of ,my improve?` starting engine minotor when operated as a motor, diseloing tlie'eonneetion from the ail* stoi'age tank, the oscillating' valves ei 'frying' the eylintlei' and piston, the eoi'nbined intake and exhaust porte in aaitl valve, the valve controlled passage-.S in the base of the motor for converting; the 'ame 'Frein a motor to a. panno, the .meetmnism for automatically operating the clutch on the engine Shaft, and the piston reds eeeenti'ieally mounted on the drive Shaft for eeeiliating the Said valves carrying the eylinfleie and pistone. Fing. a horizon talv sectional View of my improved. starten, taken on line 3 (Fig. 2) disclosing' the transverse intake and exhaust ports in full linee, anti in dotted lines ille transvei'r-ae com` inanieation between the intake ports and the longitudinal Communication between the en liaaet ports, the commanieatien between the exhaust parte and the atinosplir-e amttlie ioiwitudinal passage 'for admit Vng epei'ate the means tot connecting the with the engine to be started, Fig. iop pian View of my impie'veti Starter, .show i 'the eyiintiere, pisa iyotls, fliiif'e shaft, aint the ino-nntings fer the saine. liig, 5 vertical seeienai YView oi the pre" ein-teh, and the manner el mounting the saine en the engine erank Shaft. Fig. (E is a broken top plan 'View disclosing the construction and mount-ing olf the oscillating valves.

in the drawings, tlie numeral l designates a snitalile base mounted on the frame of the af'eliieie anti provided. at one enti with a enitable,V upwaitlly extending circular or in -f--liaf ed nation in nach side ot which aii to- CIT are adapted to be mounted disk-shaped valves 3 and et, each being approximately oi a width equal to one-half of the total width of the ring-shaped portion 2, and of a diameter approximately the same as t-he open-v ing 1n said ring7 the ring Q providing a bearing for each of the valves, they being retainedthcrein in any suitable manner, as disclosed in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The ring is split transversely as at 2 and longitudinallyas at 22 at its top, and provided with suitable means whereby the ring may be clamped vtogether to take up any wear that may be occasioned by the working of the valves, as disclosed in Fig. 4t of the drawings.

Mounted on the outer face of each of the Valves 3 `and t are cylinders 3 and 4', in which are slidably mounted pistons 32 and 4t2, from which extend suitable piston rods 5 and G, 'the outer ends of which are adapted to be journaled to outwardly extending pins 7 and S, arranged eceentrically one on each end of the shaft. 9, rotatably' supported in suitably spaced upwardly extending bear ings 10 and 11, positioned at the opposite end 'of the base 1 from; the ring 2; the pins and 8 being preferably arranged at an angle of 9() degrees from each other, about the shaiit 9, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 4t of the drawings. The piston rods being respectively connected at their ends to the pins 7 and 8, arranged about the shaft as above stated, it will be readily understood that the valves are not in the same position or stroke of operation at the same time.

The motor base 1 is provided at its end adjacent the Valves 3 and l with a longitudinally extending inlet passage 12, one

end of which communicates with an air supply reservoir 13, the normal capacity of which is approximately-150 pounds, and the other end communicates through a branch passage 14 with a transversely extending inlet passage 15 which is arranged directly under the valves 3 and Ll, and is adapted when the valves are oscillated into certain positions to register with channels 1G and 17 extending from the base of the valve, and eonnnunicating at their upper cndswitn the opposite ends of the cylinder carried by the valve. The motor base is also provided adjacent the inner passage 15 with parallel exhaust passages 18 and 19 arranged one en cach side oiE the inlet passage 15, the passage 19 being connected to the passage 1S by a transversely extending pas- 20, and the passage 1S opening tothel atmosphere. "The passages 1S and it) will be alte'unately in coifnmunication with their respective passages 16 and 17, when the other oiffsaid passae'esds in communication with the inlet passage l Thus when air is forced in one end of the cylinder to operate the piston, the air contained in the 'the ball valve 29', into the passage 12,

otherv is exhausted to the atmosphere, and from the above description it will be apparent that a double actuated piston is provided.

Communicating with the inlet passage 12 and extending longitudinally of the base 1' is a passage 1.5, the opposite end of which communicates with the inner end of an en larged cylindrical chamber 19', in which is slidably mounted a piston 20 carrying a piston rod 21 which extends through anl end communicates with the opening 12; the

passage 24 being normally closed from conimunicatioii with the opening 12, by a spring actuated valve 25, arranged in'sanl passage.,

the tension of the spring'being approxr,

mately 150 pounds, or the same as the normal capacity of the reservoir. i

Mounted in a suitable opening extending transversely of the base 1, is a turn plug or rotary Valve 2G, provided with transversely extending parallel spaced ports 2T and 2S, which, when the valve handle QS is in a downwardly inclined position, as in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the. port 27 closes the opening to the atmosphere ot' the passage 18, and directs the flow of air therefrom through a by-pass 29, controlled by and at the same time closes the passage of air from the passage 12 to the passage 15, this being when the device is operated as an air compressor. The handle is normally held in a downwardly inclined position by the action of a coiled spring 292, one end ot'` which is attached to the handle and the other to a stationary arm 293.

lVhen operated as a starting engine or motor, the valve handle Q8 is moved to a horizontal position by the actuation of a foot pedal or lever 29* on the floor of the car, which raises the arm 28, which positions the port 28 in communication with the exhaust 18 and the atmosphere, and the port 27 in communication with the intake passage 12 and the inlet. passage 15.

Any suitable connection between the md tor and the engine to be started may be employed, the torin disclosed in the drawings being merely for illustration.

- Keyed to the shaft 9, between the bearings 10 and 11, is a suitable toothed spriicketwheel 3() around which extends a suitable link c ha1n 31, the other end of winchextends around a suitable toothed wheel B2 loosely mounted on the crank shaft 33 ot the engine. One face of the wheel 32 is provided with an annular cone-shaped projection 34, which is adapted to be thrown into engagement with an overhanging liange 35, on the periphery of a disk 36, keyed to the crank shaft of the engine. The Wheel 32 and disk 36eme normally forced apart by the action of the coiled springs 3G. A The mechanism Afor throwing the two clutch members into engagementcomprises a lever 37 having an enlarged head portion 38, which loosely fits around the shaft 33, adjacent the hub of tl-,e wheel 32, and is providedv with a Hat face 39, adapted to lie in contact with they hub of the wheel'32, and the opposite face of the head is provided with a cam surface 40, which',` when the clutchV members are separated lies in a cam groove 411 in a ring a2, loosely mounted on the shaft 33, one endv of the ring extends to and is carried by the frame of the car. The free end ofthe lever 3.7 is connected by a suitable bar 43 to the outer end of the piston A rod 21 carried by the piston 20.

The operation vof the device is as follows :--The parts being assembled as in Fig. l and the air supply reservoir charged to its capacity and it is desired to start the startengine or motor, the operator pushes the foot pedal 294x which raises the handle, 2S of the valve 26 against the tension of the spring 29?, this p'ermitting the air in the storage reservoir 13 to rush through the/in let channel l2'into the branch passage 144 through the opening 27 in the valve,26 and into the inlet passage 15 inthe base of the l frame and is admitted into whichever opening 16 or 17 that is in -communication with the p' ssage 15, passes up through -said opening and into the cylinder, forcing the piston to reciprocate, which forces the air being compressed in the opposite end'outwardly through the passage that is in ccmmunication with the exhaust passage,the pistons being thus operated rotate the shaft S). The throw of the cra-nk pins on the ends of the shaft- 9 is so great. that as the shaft rotates, .the valves carrying the cylinders are osmllated suiiiciently so that the port that was in communication with the intake '15 is now in communication with the exhaast', and the port that was exhausting is in communication with the intake. The ports of the valves 3 and et alternately registering wit-h the intake and exhaust passages pro vide a continuously operated device. Upon the admission of air under pressure into thc inlet 15, a certain volumeof air passes through the passage 15', raises t-he ball valve 23 to. close the opening 22, enters the inner end of the chamber A19 forcing the piston 20 carrying the piston rod 21 outwardly. The outer end of the piston rod 21 being connected with thc upper end of the cam lever 37, rotates-the camftO out of the slot 41, thus forcing the loosely mounted wheel 32 carrying the chain 31 which is connected to the wheel 30, into engagement with the dangc 31, and the drive aft 33 of the4 engine is rotated by the starting .engine or motor ,until the engine to be started starts under its own power.

After thc engine has been started by my improved starter, and is operating by its own power, the pressure is "released from the foot pedal 29* and the spring 292 dra-ws the handle of the. valve into'a downwardly inclined position, which closes the exhaust -port 18 to the atmosphere,l and also closes of being ope 'ated by air under pressure, au" is drawn m through the opening 22^in the passage 1 5 and in place of bthe exhaust'a'i'r being forced. to the atmosphere, it'is di-z rected through the port27 in the rotary valve 2G into the passage 2 9 and into the air supply reservoir 13, the back flow therefrom being checked by the ball valve 29. After the tank 13 has been recharged to it-s normal capacity, which is regula-ted by the spring' controlled valve 25, the compressed air as it is forced intothe passage' 12, displaces4 the valve ,25 and air is forced through the ]'iassa'ge y24dinto the outer end of the chamber 19 forcing the piston 20 inwardly,

which draws the lever inwardly, seating the cam 10 in the cam groove 41 and disconnecting the wheel carrying the chain 31 from the wheel 3G, keyed to the shaft 33- stopping the operation of the starting engine until the foot pedal is again pushed downwardly ard it desired tostart the engine. -Upon the initial starting of the engine any suitable meansl may bc employed for throwing the clutch intooperation for charging the air reservoir 13.

Having thus described the invention what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. In a starter for explosive engines, the combination with an engine shaft, of an air actuated motor, connection between said motor and engine shaft, a reservoir for air under pressure, a valve for -admittingair from the air storage means tothe air actuated motor, a piston actuated by the air un- .der pressure for throwing into operative relation the connection between said motor and engine shaft,means for positioning said'val ve to cut off the flow of air from the air storage means to the motor and to admit air under compression from the motor to the air storage means for recharging the pressure therein, and avalve actuated by the air in the air storage meansk attaining a given pressure for admitting air to said piston to operate the .same to throw into inoperative relation the ronnection between said niotor and engine shaft,

2. ln a starter for explosive engines, the combination with an engine shaft., of an air actuated nmtor` direct: connection between said engine. shaft and the motor, a reservoir tor air under pressure, a valve for adn'iitting ail' troni the air storage means to the air actuated motor` a piston actuated by the air pressure against one surface thereof, and operated by the air pressure when admitted to operate the motor for throwing into operative relation the connection between the said motor and engine shaft, means for positioning' said valve to cut off flow of air from the air storage means to the air actuated motor to convert the niotor into a compresser and to admit air under Compression from the compressor to the -air reservoir for restoring the pressure therein7 and a valve operable upon the air in said reservoir attaining a give-n pressure -for admitting air to the opposite surface of said piston to actuate the saine for throwing into inoperatire relation the connection between said compressor and engine shaft.

ln testimony whereof have signed my name to this` speeilication in the presence ot two snbscribin witnesses.

DON D. MILES, JR, lVitnesses t N. A. Annen, D. l. RICHARDS. 

